Combination label for packaged product and printed-on removable decal

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is the novel combination of a label for a packaged product and a removable, water-soluble decal printed onto the label.

United States Patent 1151 3,638,340 Gottschalk 1 Feb. 1, 1972 541 COMBINATION LABEL FOR UNITED STATES PATENTS PACKAGED PRODUCT AND PRINTED- 577,804 2/l897 Wmemann ..283/2l 0N REMOVABLE DECAL 1.004.055 9/1911 Martin et al... ....2s3/21 M 1,054,826 3/1913 Cole ..283/2l invent Gmschalk Y 2,l85,983 1/1940 l-lumphner. ..161/4061" 3] Assisnee: Union Carbide Corporation. New York, 2,654,170 10/1953 Nestor ..2s3/21 N.Y. Primary Examiner-Morris Sussman [22] Nona Attorney-Paul A. Rose, John F. l-lohmann and John R. [21] Appl.No.: 873,574 Doheny 521 u.s.c1 ..40/2,2s3/21, l6l/l67, [57] ABSTRACT 161/406 Disclosed is the novel combination of a label for a packaged In. "Am productand aremovable watep oluble decal onto the 5s FieldofSearch ..283/2l;40/2 B; l6l/l67,406T lam 3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures References Cited slfaacmo PATENTED FEB1 1973- INVENTOR LAWRENCE A. GOTTSCHALK BY %Tronyzf} COMBINATION LABELFOR PACKAGED PRODUCT AND PRINTED-ON REMOVABLE DECAL This invention relates generally to labels for packaged products to besold commercially and more particularly to the combination of a label and a removable decal.

Decals are a popular way of promoting a commercial product. Usually, the decals are given away gratuitously to the consumer who is encouraged to apply the decals to some conspicuous area, such as to the windshield of an automobile.

Considerable sums of money are spent each year by manufacturers of various binds of products for the distribution of decals. The decals may be shipped in bulk quantities to wholesalers and retailers of the product for distribution to the consumer or the decals may be loosely attached to the package or carton containing the product in some way such as by means of rubberbands, tape, string, glue or the like. The problem most often encountered in the case where the decals are loosely attached to the packaged product is that the decals can be too easily removed either accidentally or by pilferage and lost before the decals reach the consumer.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide a means for more effectively distributing decals upon the purchase of a packaged product which is far less costly than distribution in bulk quantities and which can be accomplished in such a way that the decals are not likely to become lost before reaching the consumer.

More specifically, another object of this invention is to provide a label for a packaged product bearing a decal which is part of the label but which can be readily removed from the label after purchase by the consumer.

The above and other related objects of this invention are achieved by printing a water-soluble decal on a label for a packaged product. To detach the decal from the label, the consumer need only apply water to the label in order to release the decal.

In the accompanying drawing:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a typical packaged product in the form of a cylindrical metal can having a label bearing a printed-on water-soluble decal in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the outside of the label used for the can shown in FIG. 1, the label being flattened out as it appears before application to the can; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the arrangement of the different layers of material which make up the label and removable decal.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, there is shown in FIG. 1 a typical packaged product in the form of a metal can containing a liquid product to be sold commercially. The can 10' has cylindrical sidewalls l2 and an upper conical shaped neck portion 14 terminating in an opening which is sealed by a removable screwcap 16. It will be understood that the particular design or configuration of the can 10, which is shown here merely for purposes of illustration, actually fonns no part of the invention, it being significant only that the can 10 or packaged product carries a label 18 which may be composed of paper or other fibrous material conventionally used for labels as will readily occur to those skilled in the art.

The label 18 is shown in FIG. 2 in the form of a flat sheet as it appears prior to being wrapped around the cylindrical sidewalls 12 of the can 10. It will be seen from the view of FIG. 2 that the label 18 carries thereon the usual printed matter including the name of the product, trade name, a description of the product and its ingredients, methods of use, etc., which may be grouped into several or more panels, there being three panels of printed matter 20, 22, and 24 shown here for purposes of illustration. In the embodiment of the label shown in FIG. 2, the two panels 20 and 22 are spaced apart and arranged substantially parallel to one another, one panel 20 being located near the top edge of the label 18 and the other panel 22 being located near the bottom edge of the label 18. The two panels 20 and 22 occupy substantially one-half section of the label 18 and may be described as forming the front side portion of the label 18. The third panel 24 which is considerably larger in size than the other two panels and which occupies substantially the other half section'oflabel 18, may be described as forming the rear side portion ofthe label 18.

Disposed between the two panels 20 and 22 on the front side portion of the label 18 is the removable, water-soluble decal 26. The decal 26 is printed onto the label 18 in the manner as shall be described in detail hereinafter and may be of any distinctive shape or configuration carrying the usual printed matter for promotion of the product including a trade name and/or some insignia if desired.

The label 18 including the printed-on, removable, watersoluble decal 26 is wrapped around the cylindrical sidewalls 12 of the can 10 suitably by means of a conventional wrapping machine as well known in the art. During the wrapping operation, the marginal edge portions of the label 18 are made to overlap one another and an adhesive or glue is used to adhere the overlapping marginal edges together and thus secure the label 18 in place on the can 10. As shown in the view of FIG. 2, an adhesive or glue may be applied to the label 18 before the wrapping operation in the form of a continuous adhesive strip 28 along one marginal edge portion of the label 18. A suitable adhesive or glue for this purpose is an aqueous solution of a vinyl copolymer resin.

In the practice of the invention, the decal may be printed onto the label for the packaged product using a conventional silkscreen process as well known in the art. Thus, as shown schematically in the view of FIG. 3, the paper label in blank form as indicated at 30, which may be a single ply of paper coated with a water-soluble adhesive, i.e., super flat-one ply paper with dextrin (l. Dextrin-an intermediate product between starch and the sugars into which starch hydrolsis- Hackhs Chemical Dictionary, 3rd Ed.) coat, is first coated with a thin layer 32 of an alkyd resin base synthetic enamel (2. Alkydresin-a group of tacky and adhesive resins made from unsaturated fatty acids (plithalic anhydride) and glycerol-Hackhs Chemical Dictionary, 3rd Ed.) on that portion only of the paper blank 30 to which the decal is to be applied. Another layer of successive layers 34 of printed copy including that of the decal is applied to the paper label blank 30 using the silkscreen process and paint as the medium. The printed copy forming the decal is applied over the enamel coated area on the paper blank 30. A clear lacquer coat 36 is then applied over the area of the decal. In application of the clear lacquer coat, the silkscreen process is again used in order to mask off those areas of printed copy on the label.

From the foregoing, it will be readily seen that the invention provides a novel combination of a label for a packaged product and a removable, water-soluble decal which is printed onto the label. When the consumer purchases the product he receives the printed-on decal as a gratuity. To use the decal, the consumer simply removes the label from the packaged product and applies water to the label. The water releases the decal so that it can be slipped off the label and onto the surface to be decorated. It will be readily appreciated that one of the principal advantages of the invention is that the decal can be effectively distributed to the consumer without the need for attaching the decal separately to the label such as by use of a rubberband, tape, string or glue and thus obviates the possibility of the decal being lost prior to reaching the consumer.

What is claimed is: 1. In combination: a packaged product and a label affixed thereto, said label including a water-soluble decal printed onto said label and constituting an integral part of said label but being removable therefrom upon the application of water.

2. The combination as defined by claim 1 wherein the packaged product is a cylindrical can and wherein the label is a flat paper sheet wrapped around the cylindrical side walls of said can, said sheet bearing printed copy on one portion and the removable water-soluble decal printed onto another portion thereof.

3. The combination as defined by claim 1 including a singleply paper sheet coated with a water-soluble adhesive forming a label blank, a layer of resin base synthetic enamel applied to said coated paper sheet in the area on which the decal is to be printed, at least one layer of printed copy applied to said coated paper sheet including the enamel coated layer forming the decal, and a clear lacquer coating applied over the area of 5 the printed decal. 

1. In combination: a packaged product and a label affixed thereto, said label including a water-soluble decal printed onto said label and constituting an integral part of said label but being removable therefrom upon the application of water.
 2. The combination as defined by claim 1 wherein the packaged product is a cylindrical can and wherein the label is a flat paper sheet wrapped around the cylindrical side walls of said can, said sheet bearing printed copy on one portion and the removable water-soluble decal printed onto another portion thereof.
 3. The combination as defined by claim 1 including a single-ply paper sheet coated with a water-soluble adhesive forming a label blank, a layer of resin base synthetic enamel applied to said coated paper sheet in the area on which the decal is to be printed, at least one layer of printed copy applied to said coated paper sheet including the enamel coated layer forming the decal, and a clear lacquer coating applied over the area of the printed decal. 